Plate-shaped laser active media (hereinafter also referred to as laser disks) are used within solid-state laser configurations. DE 10 2012 214 970 A1 and EP 1 677 394 A1 disclose examples of solid-state laser configurations. Laser disks can be designed, in particular, in the form of a round disk. EP 1 178 579 A2 discloses that laser disks can be attached to heat sinks such as diamond heat sinks by means of gluing, bonding, or soldering. The combination of a laser disk and a heat sink is referred to herein as a disk module and a corresponding laser system as a disk laser.
Disk modules are usually mounted for cooling in a so-called cooling finger. For example, a disk module can be clamped with three support points at a front side of the heat medium for a defined position. DE 100 61 424 A1 discloses a three-point support for clamping a laser module in which a retaining ring is subjected to a tensioning device, which applies a force in the direction of a cooling housing of the cooling finger. In laser operation, mechanical and thermal stresses of the heat sink can lead to tension and consequently deformations of the laser disk, whereby a limitation of the achievable laser power may be given.
DE 199 39 774 A1 discloses a laser disk cooling system in which a transparent supporting body is pressed against the front side of a cooling chamber wall via a ring flange. This results in a seamless connection between the laser disk and the cooling chamber. Thereby, essentially mechanical forces act on the supporting body in the direction of forces caused by the temperature gradient.